Could anyone give recommendations of quiet, family-friendly communities in the South Sound area? I find I'm always going up to the Seattle area (we're currently down by Puyallup) for natural-type stuff (food stores, midwife, etc), and I'd love to be closer to all of that while still keeping DH's commute decent. He's in Federal Way.

Looking for anyone's thoughts on places like Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, etc ... or others that might be a better fit for us.

I live in Puyallup too. For natural food, I shop at Fred Meyer, Target, Tacoma Boys, Top Food and the Puyallup farmers market when its open. Occasionally, I'll make the trip up to Bellevue to go to Whole Foods and stock up. I've heard of Marlene's Market in Federal Way too but I haven't been there yet.

As far as midwives, I had Nancy Spencer in Bonney Lake as my midwife for my first pregnancy and she was wonderful. She has a lovely home with a birth center attached to it. http://www.lakesidebirthcenter.com/

http://www.naturalchoice.net/ is a great directory of natural options in the Puget Sound so that might broaden your ideas of what is available around here.

I don't think the areas you listed are very safe to live in unfortunately. There's drive by shootings and a high rate of crime. I wouldn't consider them family friendly at all.

I'd stick to communities like Puyallup, Bonney Lake, University Place, Brown's Point and the Proctor District in Tacoma, West Seattle, Bellevue, Mercer Island.

Another vote for Tacoma! I agree with all the places listed for natural foods. There is a Marlenes in Tacoma on 38th by the mall too. I have heard pretty bad things about most comms up north. Federal way has a terrible school district.

There are lots of midwives in Tacoma, why are you going all the way up to Seattle to visit one?

Thanks for your responses! So helpful! As for why I was headed to Seattle ... I found out I was pregnant about a month after we moved here, and a friend (in Kirkland) recommended Cindie Brown, so that's where I have been going. But I birth quickly, and am thinking I won't make it to either Group Health or the PSBC in enough time (and the midwives wont come as far south as Auburn for a homebirth).

Nancy Spencer's birth center is about 15 minutes from my house, but I have heard mixed things about her. I have had 2 hospital and 1 out-of-hospital births, so I am find with negotiating a more medically-minded midwife. But do you know where she transfers to if there's a need?

Nancy has backup OB contacts that work at St Francis in Federal Way and I think Tacoma General. I ended up having major medical complications and had to have a c-section at St Joes in Tacoma. I had a miserable experience there but the Labor & Delivery nurses are awesome. I was stuck on the medical floors before and after delivery which aren't good at all. If you have major complications (bedrest) etc, I highly recommend going to Tacoma General which has a special unit for high risk pregnancies/births. I wish I had gone there but I went to St Joes as an emergency and couldn't get transferred.

If you're looking for medical midwifes your best bet is going to be the Pearl Place midwives. I saw them too at the beginning of my pregnancy and switched to Nancy at 26 weeks because I wanted a more natural birth (oh well). They are all wonderful! There wasn't one I didn't like. Dr. Sanford there is awesome too. She was on call at St Joes and was great to work with when I was in the hospital. They have a birth center (The Birthing Inn) you can deliver at which is really nice and they deliver at St Joes as well. St Joes allows for water births too if you're at all interested in that.